The U.S.S.A.?

Is this what we are facing over the next several years? Changing from the United States of America to the United Socialist States of America? Really, is this what people actually want for our future?

Election day is next Tuesday, November 4. I had to put in my 2 cents beforehand. I am staring in unbelief at the citizens of our country who are voting for Sen. Obama. I mean, do they actually want their taxes to increase so that Sen. Obama (and Pelosi, and Reid, and all the others) can "spread the wealth" around however they see fit? Are they so blind to believe that because they make less than $250,000 per year, that they will be unaffected, or even benefit? Why don't they see that small businesses will no longer have the necessary money available to create new jobs? That more people will be laid off and there will be fewer raises once the tax rates go up.

But wait, maybe they don't care, because with Sen. Obama in the White House, at least they will have Universal Health Care. But, eventually, will our system turn into one similar to UK's or Canada's, where the government decides who is "sick" enough to be seen. . .where you have to wait months on end to have necessary surgery? And a non-necessary surgery, such as a hernia repair or ear tubes for your child? No, you won't be able to have that, it just plain costs too much. . . Of course, Sen. Obama doesn't want you to think like this!

And, even if the possibilities of what Sen. Obama's Health Care for all does bother them a little, they just choose to remember that he has also promised us free college for everyone, too! Sounds great, doesn't it! But, does that mean, that since the government is now paying for my college education, that they now have a say in what I study, on what I major in? What If I want to become a lawyer, but they decide that there are too many lawyer, and decide instead that I should become a journalist. Or If I want to be a plumber, but they decide I need to be a medical researcher, instead. It'll never happen that way, they say. But, what's stopping them? Oh, and don't even THINK about studying religion or theology! There is NO WAY that government tax dollars will ever go to support an education for that. . .Separation of Church and State, they'll cry.

Oh, I could go on all day! But, thanks to the good old Fairness Doctrine, I'm pretty sure that after Sen. Obama becomes President, I won't be allowed to, unless I allocate equal space on my blog to a left-leaning opinion on the subject. . .

Forgive me for my brief vent. . .Now, I will return to my regularly scheduled blogging.

Menu Plan Monday

I can't believe another week's gone by. . . It was a great week for food! I was extremely disappointed, though, with Monday's Crockpot Thai Chicken. I forgot to ask Rev to turn the crockpot off at lunchtime (our crockpot cooks most things fast), so by the time he got home with the boys for supper, it was burnt beyond repair, and he had to throw it out. We were really excited to try it, though, because we LOVED a similar dish from a restaurant down in New Orleans when we lived there. Don't be surprised to see it on our menu again in the coming weeks!
We had a very busy week, with the fair, (or, as Skywalker puts it, the "County Fayah") the boys' big birthday bash, and a visit from Rev's Mom "Bubbles".
Here's this week. The days with * are my work days this week. I leave at 6:15am, and don't make it back home until 8 or 8:15pm, I plan a crockpot meal with sides that Rev can fix himself. Otherwise, the boys end up with McDonalds, and I end up eating cereal.

*Monday ~ Crockpot chicken and rice, green salad, steamed green beans
*Tuesday ~ Crockpot black eyed peas, brown rice, green salad
Wednesday ~ Sausage oven omelet, (with somechanges, asparagus instead of brocolli, eggbeaters, and turkey sausage) fruit salad
*Thursday ~ Crockpot Turkey black bean chili, green salad
Friday ~ Spaghetti with homemade meatballs, homemade marinara, whole wheat spaghetti, and green salad
Saturday ~ Grilled chicken, roasted vegetable medley, whole wheat cous cous
Sunday ~ Meatball subs (made with whole wheat sub rolls, and leftover meatballs from Friday), salad


Hope you have a delicious week!

Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz

I found a new quiz while purusing blogs today, and it looked like fun, since Rev is a fan of the new show Mad Men, so I took it. You can find the quiz here.

And, my results:

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz ...
You Are a Doris!
You are a Doris -- "I must help others."
Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.

How to Get Along with Me
* Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.
* Share fun times with me.
* Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.
* Let me know that I am important and special to you.
* Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

In Intimate Relationships
* Reassure me that I am interesting to you.
* Reassure me often that you love me.
* Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.

What I Like About Being a Doris
* being able to relate easily to people and to make friends
* knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better
* being generous, caring, and warm
* being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings
* being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Doris
* not being able to say no
* having low self-esteem
* feeling drained from overdoing for others
* not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish
* criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should
* being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them
* working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Dorises as Children Often
* are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism
* try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding
* are outwardly compliant
* are popular or try to be popular with other children
* act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention
* are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)

Dorises as Parents
* are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)
* are often playful with their children
* wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"
* can become fiercely protective


Yep, that about sums me up!

Menu Plan Monday

It's that time again, Menu Plan Monday. . .I just love participating in this! If you've never done Menu Plan Monday, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie's blog for lots of other menu plan ideas! Last week, our menu plan went really well. We changed around a couple of days, to make it work better for us, and since we went out to eat after Church Sunday, we postponed the lentil haystacks from Monday and had them Sunday, which means, we'll postpone our taco bowls until this Sunday. We really enjoyed our food last week, though, and had no "bad" meals. The Crockpot Pepper Steak turned out especially good! Here's this week's menu plan, with links to all recipes!

Monday ~ Crockpot Thai Chicken with whole wheat noodles, and steamed snow peas

Tuesday ~ Crockpot White Chicken Chili, green salad

Wednesday ~ Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps, brown rice

Thursday ~ Leftovers

Friday ~ We'll be going to the Jackson County Fair, and eat there. They have tons of booths set up selling all sorts of delicious things, like seafood gumbo, chicken & sausage gumbo, fried catfish plates, phili cheese steaks, and all sorts of other stuff! It's going to be great!

Saturday ~ Ahrr, it's Stonewall and Skywalker's buccaneer bash (ie: birthday party) We'll be having Golden (chicken) nuggets, Pirate Ship Planks (fish sticks), Pirate Faces (Smilies Potatos with a ketchup eye patch), Treasure Chest Fruit Salad, and Pirate Punch, with Birthday cake for dessert!

Sunday ~ Taco bowls that we didn't get to last week

Hope you have delicious week!

SOAP ~ Philippians 1:7-11

S: Philippians 1:7-11
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

O: v.7: Paul has great Love (Godly, agape love) for his fellow believers in the church at Philippi. He is concerned for their spiritual wellbeing, even though his live seems to be in shambles at that time. . ."in chains". . .one of the many times he was in imprisoned for his faith. v.8: Paul has lived so that only God needs to testify for his Love. The rest of this passage lays out 4 aspects of Spiritual Maturity: Love, Integrity, Fruitfulness, and Glorifying God.
v.9: Love. . .originates with God, it is commanded of us. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus spells out the greatest 2 commandments: Love the Lord above all else, Love your neighbor. Love is smart / not blind. Love of God will grow and increase with increased knowledge of God and God's word.
v.10: Integrity. . ."Pure and blameless" Integrity is having unity between your convictions and your behavior. . .in other words, NOT being a hypocrite.
v.11: Fruitfulness. . ."the fruit of Righteousness" comes THROUGH Jesus Christ! We can not be fruitful without Christ (John 15:4-5).
v.11: Gloryifying God. . .in everything, Paul brings Glory to God!

A: These verses give pretty detailed directions for how to grow spiritually. Love is dynamic, it is not stagnant, it is either growing or decreasing. . .How does Love for God and others grow? Through study of God's word, deepening of your relationship with Him. I have heard many spiritually immature Christians say, "can I do such and such without sinning"? The right question should be, "Will doing this cause others to sin?" That is a mark of spiritual maturity, and a sign of true integrity. . .not only concern for your spiritual health, but for the spiritual health of others! (And the reason that I don't drink alcohol).
What about bearing fruit: there are several kinds of "fruit" talked about in scripture. The most commonly referred to is "Spiritual fruit", in other words, a Godly attitude (Galations 5:22-23). Good works is another kind of fruit. . .as is leading others to Christ (Col. 1:5-6). Glorifying God should be the end result of EVERYTHING we do! I Corithians 10:31 "Whether, then, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." God's Gloryis His excellence, absolute perfection, His Renown/fame/reputation - live in a way that gives God a good reputation, that spreads God's good reputation.
P: Heavenly Father, help me to become a Spiritually Mature believer. Help me to show true concern for the spiritual wellbeing of those around me. Teach me to Love with your agape love, teach me to love you more every day. . .Mold me into a person of integrity. . .let me be concerned not only for myself, and my own spiritual wellbeing, but for others as well. . .And in everything, let me bring Glory to you! I desire to spread your good reputation to everyone. . .and not do anything that will mar your renown! In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

We were creamed. . .4-1

Stonewall's 2nd soccer game was this morning. The kids had so much fun. He's in the U-5 division, and it is the whole team's first year to play. They haven't quite figured it all out yet. . .to say the least! For some reason, it is very hard for a 4 year old to pay attention to the ball, run after it, and kick it to their goal. . .but, makes for some great comedy!
I have definately turned into a soccer mom, though. Sitting on the sidelines, yelling, cheering, and encouraging my boy to run after the ball, kick it, etc! We ended up losing 4-1, but everyone had a really fun time! Here's Stonewall sitting down during Half-time. . .(With another players baby brother in the background) Here's Stonewall kicking the ball into play. . .They don't do throw-ins in this age group. They are stress NEVER to touch the ball with your hands right now.

This is Stonewall right after he had a corner kick, running back onto the field. . .Isn't he just adorable in his uniform?

The team really doesn't have a name, but since they are yellow and black, Rev, the other parents, and I have been trying to come up with a name for them. Rev like "the Swarm", but I like the "Stingers" better, it just sounds tougher to me.

Tasty Tip Tuesday

GardenGirl over at the Pressure Crock is hosting Tasty Tip Tuesday, so I'm going to participate! The problem is, I can't think of any kitchen tips that I have. . .

Well, maybe a couple. . .Here's 2:

1) If you are out of eggs and/or oil and are baking, you can substitute some mashed banana or some canned pureed pumpkin. . .and, as an added bonus, they are much healthier alternatives than eggs and oil! (Applesauce is also a great oil substitute, but you probably already knew that!)

2) Whenever I boil a chicken for a casserole or chicken salad, I save the stock that is made and not used in that recipe. I freeze it in ice cube trays, and once frozen, put them in a gallon sized ziplock freezer bag. Whenever a recipe calls for broth or stock, I throw some in. . .They are also great to use when making rice or pasta, or any recipe for a little extra flavor!

Be sure to check out the Pressure Crock for other great tips!

What made me break my Low GI diet today. . .

Tonight, after church, we are having a fellowship, to which we are supposed to bring "finger foods". I couldn't decide what to make, so Rev talked me into making my famous Oreo Truffles. These are delectible, fudgy, chocolaty treats, that are so good you can't even imagine how good they taste. (And the best part? only 3, count them, 3 ingredients!) So, I made them. . .Usually, I will cover half of them with white chocolate, and the other half with milk chocolate. But, Walmart was out of white chocolate on the baking aisle yesterday, so I just made milk chocolate covered ones. (Dark Chocolate would have been even better!)

Anyway, after making these delectible (my word for the day :) ) treats, I just had to sample them. I mean, you can't take something to a fellowship if you haven't sampled them first, can you? What if they tasted bad? or made you sick? I mean, it was for the health and safety of my dear church family that I tasted one. Well, four. . .I know, I'm ashamed. I had 4! YIKES. I'm supposed to have self control, but I seem to have none. Oh, and I also made some yummy Peanut Butter/Ritz Crackers cookies dipped in Chocolate, since there was leftover chocolate. (And I sampled one of those, too. . .Because for somereason, I made 13, and you just can't take 13 of something to a fellowship. . .I had to eat one so there would be 12, a nice, even number. . .)

So, now, I've go to go get on my treadmill, and burn those callories. I promise to be good this week on my diet to make up for it! (except for our Deacon's fellowship on Friday Night. . .) What can I say, we're Baptist. Eating is what we do. . . :)

Menu Plan Monday

We had a great week! Though, the Applesauce Chicken was a flop for Rev. I enjoyed it. . .he just didn't like it at all, though. The Pecan crusted tilapia was AMAZING! I did substitute walnuts for the pecans, as the walnuts were on sale. Rev and I really enjoyed the spicy black beans again. I had plenty of leftovers, and the Chicken/Black Bean Quesadillas were really good! I plan on using the remaining black beans to make black bean burgers this week! I love when a meal stretches like that. Unfortunately, Rev went to Pizza Hut Friday night, instead of trying Papa John's new whole wheat crust, so I had another quesadilla, instead (which I think I liked better than pizza, anyway).
Once again, be sure to check out Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday for more great menu ideas! And, if you have any great crockpot recipes, leave me a comment, I need some more! Oh, one more thing. I have a bag of dried navy (pea) beans in my pantry, and have NO idea what to do with them. . .If you have any healthy recipes using navy (pea) beans, please share them!

As you may know, I've been following the low GI diet, and really love it! I do not feel liek I'm missing out on anything. The food is delicious. Basically, I'm eating alot of fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats, and whole grains. I have cut from my diet white rice, pasta (except for occasional whole wheat pasta) sugar, and potatoes (except for occasionally new potatoes or sweet potatoes). For my lunches this week, I've made a big pot of low GI Black Bean Soup, A friend from a forum I frequent shared the recipe, and I just made a slight change to it. (You can find the original recipe at her blog ChrisianFrog.) It is so totally delicious! I was afraid of the spices, but they were perfect.

Monday ~ Crockpot Stuffed Bell Peppers, green salad
Tuesday ~ Lentil Haystacks
Wednesday ~ Black Bean Burgers on whole wheat buns, green salad
Thursday ~ Crockpot Pepper Steak, brown rice, green salad
Friday ~ We have a deacon's party to attend, I'm bringing Company Baked Beans, and some burger toppings (lettuce, onion, etc)
Saturday ~ Balsalmic Grilled Bruschetta Chicken, steamed asparagus
Sunday ~ Taco Bowls

We actually have alot of this food on hand already, so hopefully, the grocery bill will be down this week!

SOAP ~ Philipians 1:1-6

So, my journey with SOAPing begins. I really think that this type of Bible Study will be beneficial for me. I am hoping that it will keep me consistent in my Bible study, as well as prevent my study time from getting too routine. Here it goes! I decided to start in Philippians, for no real reason, it just seemed like a good book to start in, but not too long that it's daunting.


S: Philippians 1:1-6 ~~ Thanksgiving

1Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
4always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,
5in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
6For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

O: This is the inroduction to Philippians. v1. Paul intoduces himself as the author of this letter to the Church in Philipi. This letter was written at the time that Timothy was with him. The audience of the letter: the Church at Philippi. Paul actually writes "to ALL the Saints in Philippi" then he goes on the include as well the "overseers and deacons". This letter is NOT written to the head of the church. . .they are included almost as an afterthought. This letter is for the CHURCH body, the family. v2. There is NO peace without grace. God is our Father and our LORD. This attests to Lordship salvations. As in, there is no separation between Christ as our Savior and Christ as our Lord. You can't have one without the other. v.3-6 Paul Joyfully remembers these Christians in his prayers, despite the dire situation that he often finds himself in. God started the good work in them, it was nothing they had done. . .Salvation is a free gift of God's Grace, provided through faith in His Son's Saving Sacrifice, and it's sufficiency. . .We did NOTHING to deserve it (nor could we ever do anything to deserve it)

A: Am I daily making Christ my Lord, am I allowing him to be the leader of my life, and not just making Him an afterthought. How do I do this: spend time continually in prayer. . .Read the Bible, meditate on it, spend time in the Scripture, journal about it. . .Then, I REALIZE that there is NOTHING I CAN DO on my own. . .It's about God, not me.
Am I thankful for other believers, and the good works they do? Do I remember them in my prayers to God. . .not always. . .I must continue to thank God for the saints who surround me daily, and for the work they are doing to further the kingdom. I must be encouraging to them, and supportive. I must remember that God started this good work. . .there is Nothing I could have ever done to deserve this gift.

P: Heavenly Father, You are Savior, and you are LORD. Your Grace is sufficient. . .and only by your Grace can I find Peace. . .I submit my life you your will. . .I commit to reading your word, I commit to studying your word, and applying it to my life. God, thank you for the great gift you have given me in your Son, Jesus Christ. . .Thank you, Lord, for my Church family. Thank you for their commitment to growing in their relationship with you. Thank you for their willingness to step out of their comfort zone. . .to spread the gospel throughout our community. Help me to encourage them. Teach me how to support them, so that they can grow too. . .In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Skywalker Turns 3!

Today, three years ago, the second light of my life was born. Here's his story: I was 37 weeks pregnant, and suffering from Preeclampsia and pre-term labor. I had been on bedrest for a month, and was due to be induced on Monday, October 10 (Columbus Day) because of it. My parents, Mimi and Poppy arrived the Saturday evening before, so they could keep Stonewall, and see Skywalker when he was born, and stay for a week to help out. Saturday evening, we all went to bed as usual. About 1:20am I woke up, and was concerned that my water had broken. I walked around for a little while, waiting for a big gush, and sure enough, it came. I woke up Rev, and told hin that it was time, then went in to tell Mimi and Poppy that we were going to the hospital. God is so good. They weren't planning on coming until Monday, so thankfully they came early and we didn't have to wake up Stonewall at 1:40 am and take him somewhere. Anyway, Rev drove like a madman to the hospital, which was 45 miles away. We arrived finally, at 2:45. The first thing I remember saying was "I want an epidural!" Of course, I couldn't get one right away, but I finally got it at 4:35. The labor was very intense, and the epidural was almost immediate relief, and I was able to doze off. Then, at about 5am, I woke up, and knew that it was time to push. I called the nurse, and she said she would go call the doctor. I told her that she better not leave the bed, or I would have this baby without her. She coached me through, telling me not to push, and when the doctor finally arrived, It took 2 pushes to deliver my sweet precious baby. Skywalker came into this world on Sunday, October 9, 2005 at 5:19am, weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and 21 inches long. He had strawberry-blond hair, and blue eyes. Here's some pics of my little angel:

His very first picture. . .He was not happy with the world when he first came out.

Stonewall and Skywalker (and my mom Mimi). When Stonewall first saw him, he said, "That's my baby!"

Skywalker's first birthday. We had a cowboy party (in combo with Stonewall's 3rd).

Skywalker's 2nd birthday. . .A Space theme, hense the rocket ship cake.

And, We'll post a birthday picture after his party. . .it's in a couple of weeks, since it is a combination party with Stonewall. . .so stay tuned in!

A fun game. . .

1. How old are you?

2. What is your middle name?

3. What is your dream vacation?

(Sandals, Ocho Rios is where we honeymooned, and we would love to go back!)

4. Where were you born?

5. What is your favorite color?

6. What is your favorite drink?

7. What is your favorite cartoon?

Menu Plan Monday

Another week gone by, a very busy week at that. Stonewall had his first school field-trip. His class went to Ci Ci's Pizza for lunch, then went to see the Beverly Hills Chiuaua Movie. He was really excited for this field-trip, and looking forward to it all week. On the way home, they had a blowout (on a bridge), and as their teacher pulled over to the side, trying to get off the bridge, Stonewall started yelling,"We're going to die. . .We're going to fall off the bridge" and ended up getting all the kids worked up. . .(His teacher didn't think it was as funny as I did when she told me.)

While Stonewall was having fun on his field-trip, Skywalker and I enjoyed a Mommy-Son day together. He requested going to the park and swinging, so we started there. He played on the swings, slides, and fort thingy, until we got too hot. Then, he decided he wanted Chick-fil-a for lunch, so we drove out to Mobile for lunch. We also went to target and looked at all the toys (but didn't buy any, and he didn't even whine about it!)

Then, Saturday, was Stonewall's first Soccer Game! They had so much fun. We lost the game, 2-1, but they were so funny out there on the field. We had one little boy who didn't want ot play at all, he cried everytime it was his turn to play. The first quarter of the game, our team just stood around, watching the other team dribble the ball, and they got their first goal right away. The other team seemed to "get it", while our boys and girls just weren't quite sure what to do. Stonewall did almost score a goal, though. He dribbled it all the way to the goal and kicked it, but the ball went about 6 inches outside the goal. He was still excited! Unfortunately, I get the bad mommy of the year award, though, since I forgot my camera. I know, I know, I can't believe I forgot it either. . .we got a couple of good pics on our phones, but I don't know how to transfer those. Oh well.

Since it's Menu Plan Monday, let me give you last week's verdict: Do NOT try the Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage! It was gross and wrong! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! However, the rest of the week was totally delicious. Rev was really sick this week, so Thursday, one of the sweet ladies from Church brough over some "Jewish Pennicillin" (ie: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup) I hadn't ever heard this before, but that's what she called it. It was delicious, and I didn't have to cook! So, We pushed the menu back a night, and skipped Saturday's Pork tenderloin, which is why you'll see it again this week.

And, in case this is your first time reading my blog, I am following the low GI diet, based off the book "Living the GI diet" by Rick Gallop. These past 2 weeks, I have only been halfheartedly following the plan (in other words, I've been snacking on non-low GI foods) so though I haven;'t gained any weight back, I haven't lost any either. I've got 4 pounds to my goal, and am giving it a concerted effort this week to stick to the plan. The problem has been Rev t7a-empting me with freshly baked cookies at night, and such. But, I know I can lose 4 more pounds, and I'm just going to do it!

You probably have noticed quite a few crockpot recipes. I tend to plan these for my work days. You see, as an RN, I work 12 hour shifts, 7a-7:30p. . .by the time I drive home, It is WAY too late to cook supper. We had gotten into a bad habit of eating fast food on the nights I worked, and that was part of my weight problem. To avoid that, I now try to plan crockpot meals for my work days. I can set it before I leave in the morning, and it's ready for Rev at supper time. (so, if you have any healthy crockpot recipes, send them my way!

Monday ~ Crockpot Applesauce Chicken, Green Salad, Snow Peas

Tuesday ~ Crockpot Spicy Black Beans , Smoked Sausage, Brown Rice, Salad

Wednesday ~ Quesadillas from left over chicken (last week) and black beans with Whole Wheat Tortillas, and Salad

Thursday ~ Skywalker's 3rd Birthday!!!!! Pecan Crusted Tilapia, zucchini and tomatoes

Friday ~ Pizza night - I really want to try Papa Johns new Whole Wheat Crust!

Saturday ~ Grainy Mustard & Chive crusted pork tenderloin, left over ww cous cous, steamed green beans

Sunday ~ Crockpot Southwestern Chicken, whole wheat tortillas, salad

Bon Appetite!

SOAP

I recently stumbled upon a blog, Musings of a Future Pastor's Wife, that was talking about SOAPing. I hadn't heard of SOAPing before, so I did a little research, and now, I'm a big fan.
SOAP is an acronym for : SCRIPTURE, OBSERVATION, APPLICATION, and PRAYER.

I have been feeling a little overwhelmed in my bible study lately. . .I have come to a place, where I am essentially reading scripture, and hearing what God has to say, but I have fallen short in applying these Truths to my life. Tell me, what's the point of studying the Bible, if what I study on my own does not change me? I NEED a more formalized way to study scripture, and I think I've found one. My other problem, though, is my memory. What good is it to study God's word, learn great spiritual truths, and begin to apply them, if I can't remember one week to the next? I'm telling you, I need help! Ever since I turned 30 earlier this year. . .wait, that's not completely true. . .Ever since I had Skywalker, my memory has greatly diminished. Oh, the perils of motherhood.

Anyway, my new plan is to use SOAPing for my Bible Study, and journal about it here, on my blog. That way, I will be able to easily look back at what the Lord has taught me, as I continue on my spiritual journey. This also means that you can join me, and maybe, just maybe, we can learn something together.

It would be completely impossible for me to SOAP everyday on here. My goal, is to study over a section of scripture weekly. . .to read it, to meditate on it, to pray over it, and to glean applical truths from it. . .so that my life can be molded, and I can be changed, into the woman God wants me to be. I encourage you to join me on this journey. My first SOAP post will be next week, so be looking for it.

October?????

How did it get to be October already? My dear, sweet, precious baby Skywalker will be turning 3 in just a few short days. . .How time flies.

The weather has changed, this morning, when I left for work at the ungodly hour of 6am, it was 53 degrees outside! It has been so beautiful outside, and I am looking forward to spending the day outside tomorrow.

In other news, Stonewall has his first school field trip tomorrow, and he is very excited. They are going to CiCi's pizza for lunch, then to see the Chiuaua Movie. Since Skywalker is not old enough for the field trip (it's only the K-4 class who gets to go), we are spending the day together, just me and him.